Farming Hearts, Livers and Pancreases?

What is on the horizon in organ transplants? Will hearts, livers, pancreases and kidneys be grown in a laboratory? Not in the near future, but doctors at Harvard have used cells from animal fetuses to produce new bladders and windpipes for sheep.

What is more feasible is the possibility of partial organs doing some of the essential functions of entire organs, says P. R. Rajagopalam, MD, director of transplantation at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

“That is very promising, but to grow an entire heart or liver, that’s somewhat distant,” Rajagopalam says. What he finds more encouraging is a possible interim step – using clusters of cells from organs instead of whole organs.

If there is liver failure, a cluster of liver cells could be grown outside the body or even implanted in the body to take over some of those organ’s functions and used as a substitute for a whole liver.

In the same manner, when diabetes results from an improperly working pancreas, cells from the pancreas could produce insulin to keep diabetes in check.

The production of such cluster cells is “very near, within a few years, but it’s a question of quantity,” Rajagopalam says.

Organ production is not considered as ethically controversial as cloning, but there could be controversy over using fetal tissue cells for research.

Rajagopalam made his predictions about using cluster cells instead of entire organs a few days after Harvard University researchers revealed that they had grown animal tissue from a variety of organs, including the heart, kidneys and bladder.

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Greetings from Nadia

A few facts about me in case you are new to my column and site.

My life in the diabetes community started at a young age as the secret keeper of my maternal and paternal Grandmothers. They both had type 2 diabetes and my days spent alone with them exposed me to their misunderstanding of how their diabetes really affected them. Eating candy bars, hiding the candy wrappers and smoking cigarettes seemed innocent enough to them. A decade later I married a type 1 person living with diabetes and experienced the full court of the diabetes spectrum with my type 2 family members and type 1 husband of almost 20 years.

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My grandmothers, the type 2 have struggled with their diabetes as long as I could remember. Later my mother followed in her mother’s footsteps. Sadly, my brother followed in my mother’s footsteps and experienced an early passing at the age of 53. My brother Jamal’s passing had the greatest impact on me. Probably because were the Irish twins; eleven months apart and his departure devastated me.

As I tell most people, diabetes is not a glamorous profession. Most people that work in the industry have a personal connection. This is why I am still here publishing after 26 years.

On the flip side of the coin, helping and inspiring people is my mission. I understand the daily challenges you face regardless of your education, IQ and economic circumstance. I am not a healthcare professional. Simply a lay person who has lived with a Type 1 and Type 2 family member who struggled with their disease. My former Type 1 husband was a role model in how to manage your diabetes, while my intelligent family members were role models on how an invisible disease can be misunderstood, devastating the quality of their life while leaving heart broken family members behind.

The perils of my experience have taught me to never judge anyone. As knowledgeable as I am, I also realize that I have no idea of the strings that pull at each person heart.

What I love about the diabetes community?

Once I meet someone and we share that we have a common experience; their diabetes and my life long experience as a care taker, we tend to have an instant bond. Think about it. How many people do you meet who you feel really get you right after your introduction? The conversations that follow tend to be very personal. Not a common experience with all strangers.

AskNadia Column

I started this column because where ever I go, people tend to ask me a lot of diabetes questions.

My answers are my opinions and it is not to be replaced by your healthcare professional’s opinion. The answers to your question in most cases will include research and other links to give you a borader perspective on your question.